Methods and apparatuses for handling public identities in an internet protocol multimedia subsystem network

Abstract

The present invention concern methods and apparatuses for handling public identities in an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem, IMS, network. According to a method an HSS receives a request message from an S-CSCF. The request message includes a public identity. The HSS sends a response message including the registered wildcarded public identity to the S-CSCF if the request message includes an indication that the public identity is unregistered, the request message does not include a wildcarded public identity indication, and the public identity, included in the request message, matches with a wildcarded public identity, registered in the HSS. The S-CSCF is thus enabled to fetch a user profile using the wildcarded public identity.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method in a Home Subscriber Server, HSS, node, for handling public identities in an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem, IMS, network, the method comprising:
 receiving, from a Serving Call Session Control Function, S-CSCF, node, a request message including a public identity and an indication that the public identity is unregistered; and 
 if the request message does not include a wildcarded public identity indication, and if the public identity, included in the request message, matches with a wildcarded public identity, and if the wildcarded public identity is registered in the HSS node, sending, to the S-CSCF node, a response message including the registered wildcarded public identity instead of overwriting a registration state of the wildcarded public identity. 
 
     
     
       2. A Home Subscriber Server, HSS, node, for handling public identities in an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem, IMS, network,
 the HSS node comprising: 
 a receiver, a transmitter, a memory and processing logic, the processing logic being connected to the receiver, to the transmitter and to the memory, wherein 
 the receiver is configured to receive, from a Serving Call Session Control Function, S-CSCF node, a request message including a public identity and an indication that the public identity is unregistered, 
 the processing logic is configured to initiate the transmitter to send, to the S-CSCF node, a response message including a wildcarded public identity, instead of overwriting a registration state of the wildcarded public identity in the HSS, if the request message does not include a wildcarded public identity indication, the public identity, included in the request message, matches with the wildcarded public identity which is stored in the memory, and a registration state of the wildcarded public identity, stored in the memory, is registered. 
 
     
     
       3. The HSS node according to  claim 2 , wherein the processing logic is further configured to include an error code in the response message. 
     
     
       4. The HSS node according to  claim 3 , wherein the processing logic is further configured to set the error code to ERROR_IN_ASSIGNMENT_TYPE. 
     
     
       5. The HSS node according to  claim 2 , wherein the processing logic is further configured to initiate the transmitter to send the response message as a Server Assignment Answer, SAA, and to include the wildcarded public identity in a Wildcarded-Identity Attribute Value Pair, AVP.